A Lover, Defeated
by Madame Crimson
Summary: "Look, Sebastian! I am dying in your arms. My blood on your hands, you caress my face. My blood on your face, let me kiss your wounds clear. My blood on your shirt, soaking through mine. Hot and passionate! A lover, defeated!" The shinigami whispered, barely moving her lips. TRIGGER WARNING : VIOLENCE, GORE, AND GRELL


A/N - This is a Kuroshitsuji one-shot. Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso.

I refer to Grell with female pronouns when narrating, but the other characters refer to her with male pronouns. I think of her as a transwoman, and refer to her with she/her pronouns. If you disagree with this, please keep your opinion to yourself. You can think of Grell with whatever pronouns you choose, and I can also. Thank you!

I tried my best to correct all of the document's grammar and spelling errors.

The lines in italics are from Grell's character song, 'Shinkou' by Jun Fukuyama.

Please enjoy~!

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><p>When the butler clad in black entered the room, a low singing voice filled his ears, and immediately he regretted following up the invitation. Today he received a letter left on the second cobblestone step that led up to the manor. The wax seal had been imprinted with a grim reaper's regard. Inside, spidery red lettering, signed off with a kiss. He could only imagine who had invited him for tea.<p>

"Come on in, Bassie. I know you're there."

The singing ceased and two hands wrapped around his chest, feeling their way along his muscles. He stepped away from their touch and the door closed behind him.

"Why did you invite me here?" Sebastian demanded, smoothing out his coat.

"My, my, Bassie. Where are your manners? You can't just barge in on a lady." Grell purred.

She sat at a table that could comfortably fit two, with her chair backed out and her heels on the table. Sebastian didn't blink. Grell cocked her head. She brushed a hand comb through her flowing crimson hair.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" His reaction was so amusing to her.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" The butler asked, with an aggressive tone.

"I love it when you talk like that. So cold and harsh," She mused, tapping her long fingernails against the china teacup. Her lips curled into a smirk, baring a mouth of shark-like teeth.

Sebastian just looked irritated now. He ran his fingers through his jet black hair.

"Is there anyone else here?" He asked, wondering who it was that embraced him and closed the door.

"Of course, Bassie. Here, you aren't the quickest one in the room." She said, her eyes darting.

The only thought Sebastian could muster was how insane Grell is.

"Don't be so mean. Sit down," She motioned towards the chair across from her and brought her feet to the floor. Grell placed her elbows on the table and held her tea-cup with both hands.

Sebastian sat down in the chair, straight and proper, as he always is. "The fumes in your apartment is giving me a headache."

"Don't you like it? The incense was a gift from Ronald. He can be sweet." Grell breathed deep the smoky aroma. "I don't usually light them, but it sets a nice mood."

Her pointed smile sent shivers up Sebastian's back. "Somehow I cannot believe you invited me here only for tea." He said, his eyes wandering around the room.

The apartment room opened up to a respectably sized salon, with two red sofas and a tea-table in the middle of a scarlet rug, with frills along the edges. Crimson walls made the flat dark, along with dim lights. A doily was at the center of the tea-table they sat at, on top was a steaming china tea-pot. In the corner of the salon was a vanity table, where the incense sticks were still smoking around makeup cases. The purple smoke wafted around the room. Strangely enough, there were many mirrors around the salon.

"You're right. I invited you here for matters much more pressing than tea. Actually, it involves your little brat's life. But that's not very important, is it?" Grell chuckled, grinning her devilish smile.

"What about the young master?" Sebastian perked his head, now alert and conscious.

"'Young master'. This is curious to me, why do you slave as his butler?" She asked, swirling her tea-cup in circles by the handle.

Sebastian stuttered. She knew their contract. What was she trying to get at?

"Oh, I know. You want to feast on him. On his soul." Grell bit her bottom lip with her sharp teeth. "You could feast on me anytime." She winked.

"That doesn't matter. Is he in danger?" Sebastian growled, clenching his fists.

"I am quite dangerous. Take a look here." The shinigami pulled a brown leather journal from inside her vest.

She opened up the book to a yellow page marked with a red ribbon. Attached to the page was a picture of Ciel, with the same spidery red letters amongst the page.

"What does this mean?" The butler loomed his head over the book, trying to read the words.

"I've been appointed to watch your 'young master' and see if he is to die or live. I have decided that he is not fit to live, as his only reason to still be living is cruel, and so selfish." Grell said, tapping a red fingernail against her bottom lip. "He is set to die in six hours. I will do my duty as such. It is your vow to protect him until his wish is granted, so naturally, you will try and stop me."

"Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to make sure you are dead, and not my master." Sebastian smirked at the thought of killing the annoying reaper.

"You are so confident you will win to me, Bassie!" She exclaimed, reaching over the tea-table to grasp the demon's tie and pull his face close to her own. "My body shivers at the thought of us, fighting to the death, despite our passionate love! A god and goddess, bound to contracts that keep them apart! It is so tragic and so thrilling!"

Sebastian slapped her hand away and stood up, abruptly, knocking over the chair that he sat on. "I will not touch you other than to pry your soul from your body." He yelled, eyes glowing yellow.

"Oh, Sebastian! I can feel your flaming touch, dressed flawlessly with red, hot blood, caressing my face. Love is so painful." Grell cried, standing up with her palms against the table.

"You are sadistic." He turned to walk out the door.

"You are so cruel!" She taunted, waving goodbye. "I will make sure that you die tonight, my beloved Bassie!"

He closed the door violently behind him, leaving the flames on the candles wavering. Grell sat back down into the chair, breathing deep on the incense and tapping her fingernails against the delicate porcelain teacup. The song started again, as she closed her dark eyes and combed her fingers through her hair. Sebastian hurried home, and his eyes glowed yellow, behind the black locks in his face.

Upon arriving home, Sebastian gathered up the house servants. They were always there when in trouble, expect maybe Tanaka, who was only ever present to be wise and old. Although he hated to admit it, Grell was stronger than himself alone. The only way he won the last time was taking her by surprise and using strategy, rather than strength. He may be smarter than the shinigami, but she undoubtedly with more strength. He would need the house servants help if he was to protect Ciel against her.

"The young master is in trouble?" Mey-Rin cried, holding her hands together against her cheek.

"Of course we'll protect him! That's what we get paid to do!" Bard grinned, lighting his cigarette.

"Remember that time when Grell wasn't scary and spilt hot tea all over my shirt? It really burned!" Finnie sulked. "Just how powerful are shinigami?"

Sebastian face-palmed, almost thinking it was impossible for them to ever be productive. "The shinigami are death-gods. They harvest souls of the living and keep their death records in journals, to store in a library."

"Grell is a god?" Finnie sniffled, hanging his head. "We have no chance!"

Sebastian restrained himself from giving the idiot gardener a death glare. "You know what you have to do." He finally said, walking out of the door.

The house servants stood straight and held their heads high. "Yes, sir!" They yelled in unison, with a salute.

Sebastian couldn't doubt their loyalty, but really couldn't rely on their intelligence. He prepared tea for Ciel and stepped into the earl's study.

"Young master, today I ha-" He was suddenly interrupted by an enraged Ciel.

"The Jack the Ripper case is still being investigated!" He yelled, slapping the paper down on his desk.

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked, setting down the tray of earl grey tea with butterscotch crumpets. He eyed the newspaper, realizing what Grell was trying to do. Another girl was murdered last night. This was to get their attention.

"I thought you killed that crazy grim reaper! Did I not order you to?" Ciel shouted.

"You did, young master. I…" The butler looked straight on to his master.

"Another person has had their life taken from them, because you did not kill that loon!"

He stayed quiet.

"We will go investigate that case at once, as ordered by the Queen. I am her watchdog, and I must make sure London is safe from psychopaths like him! Get a carriage ready, Sebastian." The young earl ordered.

"I really must protest!" Sebastian said, with a bit of defiance in his tone.

Ciel placed his hand over his eye-patched eye. "I order you by the Queen's name to take me to the crime scene at once so we can put an end to Jack the Ripper!"

Sebastian sighed and put his hand over his heart, kneeling. "Yes, my lord."

He walked out of the room. He couldn't tell Ciel that he was on Grell's hit list, because he wouldn't care anyway. The earl had no value of his soul at all, and did not fear death. He was not afraid of whatever Grell would do. He trusted Sebastian to kill the shinigami, but it wasn't something the butler could promise.

The sun was beginning to set when they arrived at the crime scene. All of the police officers abandoned the site for now. The police tape was cut in the middle, and it blew in the wind. Sebastian followed bloody footprints, those of heels, and the blood prints weren't even an hour old. Ciel walked ahead of Sebastian, looking around the scene. The stench of blood wafted around their nostrils as they walked over the crimson cobblestone. The body must have been taken to the Undertaker already, because there was no sign of it. There was an eerie silence hanging in the air, and besides their footsteps and breathing, there wasn't another sound. Sebastian was on-edge, and more alert than ever.

"Grell Sutcliffe, you will do no harm to my master." He muttered underneath his breath.

"What did you say?" Ciel asked.

Before Sebastian could answer, or even draw breath to speak, Ciel was yelling for Sebastian.

A too-familiar voice squealed over the wind. "You called, Bassie?"

Grell had Ciel pressed up to her body, with an arm grasping his shoulders, and the other hand had a dagger against his neck. The boy squirmed in her clutches.

"Let me go, you…" He struggled against her.

"Aw, look at how cute he is when Bassie failed to protect him!" Grell smiled, baring her shark teeth.

Sebastian jumped up into the air and slapped the dagger from the shinigami's hand and it clapped to the ground with a clank. Grell let go of Ciel to grab her chainsaw with both hands and hold it up to Sebastian's chest.

"I can just imagine the sound of my blade revolving into your chest, tearing passed flesh and destroying arteries. Your blood on my hands! Ripping through your black heart. Your blood on my face! Watching your Cinematic Record fly up into the night sky! Your blood on my shirt, soaking through yours. A lover, defeated!" Grell exclaimed, twirling around.

"Wishful thinking!" Sebastian grimaced as the chainsaw grazed his face. He placed his palms on the flat, cold surface of the metal and mustered all his strength to stop it from rotating, for even a second.

"Your downfall will be doubting me!" She yelled, lunging at him.

He soared over her, and somersaulted to break his fall. "I never doubted you! It was only by my master's orders that we are here." He sighed, hating to admit that he was even afraid of facing her.

"Oh, Bassie! Your sweet words are like daggers. You would never admit to being so cowardly. Then again, it is only sensible for you to hide from a death god!" Grell planted her feet on the ground and revving up her chainsaw. It reflected the rising moon's glare.

"You are pathetic! You melt to a demon's lies!" He smiled and jumped to perch on the edge of a rooftop.

"Maybe so." She shrugged and leaped up to the rooftop to join him.

He jumped over her once again when she charged at him.

"Grell Sutcliffe, you are only the quickest one in the room when you are in your flat!" Sebastian triumphed, standing on a taller roof.

"Oh, you flatter me." She replied, shaking her body and then soaring to meet him, higher in the sky.

"I do try," He grunted as he pushed her back. She wobbled on the edge, but didn't fall yet.

She laughed when she regained her balance. "I don't count on you to catch me if I fall."

"Rightfully so. I don't even think I'm quick enough to catch you, even so. All your weight will make you fall faster than the time I take to get down there." The butler smirked, taking a swing at her.

She dodged the blow by whipping back her head, hitting Sebastian in the face with her red hair in the process.

"Are you calling me fat?" She yelled, fuming. "You are very lucky that I love you so much, or I would kill you slowly!"

Ciel called from the ground, far below the rooftops. "Stop fooling around! Just hurry up and kill him already! That's an order!"

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart. "Yes, my lord." He said.

"Look, you are so loyal! What's lower than being the Queen's little dog? Being a hell-hound!" She laughed. "Ha! Get it, Bassie?"

He didn't appear to be amused, and the smile slowly disappeared from her face, too. "You are such a sourpuss! So harsh and cold! You will never accept love!" She put the back of her hand to her forehead. "You will always be in solitude, always so heartless! You are just like William!"

"Do not compare me to that scum." Sebastian muttered, flustered by the comment.

She smiled. "You will still be so callous, even in death!"

"Kill Grell at once, Sebastian! I am getting cold!" Yelled Ciel.

"Death is a cold, cold place. That little brat deserves to die at the hands of a death god!" Grell seethed.

"I have had quite enough of you, Grell Sutcliffe!" Sebastian declared, pushing her a final time.

She wore the grin as she fell from the rooftops, her chainsaw still in hand. She hit the ground as the metal of her chainsaw wore into the stone street. Her hand crushed underneath the weight of the handle. The impact of hitting the ground wasn't as much pain as all the bones being shattered in her hand. The chainsaw ground into the earth next to her head. Blood pooled around her skull, making no color difference to her hair. Grell laughed. Her stomach hurt from laughing and her shoulders shook. Tears rolled down her pale face. At that moment when Sebastian soared down to end her, he looked down on her body. She looked so small. He almost pitied her.

His knees landed on the ground on both sides of her so that her shaking waist was in between his legs. The demon wrapped his hand around her neck and dug his black fingernails into her flesh. She cried out, and he wasn't sure if it was from agony or hysterics. The same smile donned her face.

"Sebastian." She coughed, blood ran from her red lips.

He moved a knee to her chest and dug it into the well between her ribs. He felt her ribs crack underneath the pressure, and more seething crimson flowed from her mouth. A wavered gasp emitted from her throat, gurgled by blood. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

She raised a bloody hand and grasped the back of Sebastian's head to bring his ear closed to her mouth. Her voice was faint, but still extravagant in her curtain call.

_"My crimson sighs and in the empty space, are shaking the curtains…"_

He raised his head and looked down on her bloody face.

_"Even so, I am a lady unto death, a squalid dispatch to the dead, and the burial of love."_

Her chest sunk when he released the pressure from his knee.

"Look, Sebastian! I am dying in your arms. My blood on your hands, you caress my face. My blood on your face, let me kiss your wounds clear. My blood on your shirt, soaking through mine. Hot and passionate! A lover, defeated!" She whispered, barely moving her lips.

"Kill him." Said a voice behind him. It wasn't Ciel.

Sebastian turned and saw William standing tall in front of them. "Kill him, now." He ordered.

The demon grimaced and caressed her face, as Grell said, and his other hand grasping her chin.

"The show is over. The curtain falls." Grell smiled, closing her eyes.

He swiftly broke her neck and her eyes flew open as the last inkling of her life fled from them. Her body went limp. He stood and looked down at the body. Her cinematic records flew up into the night sky, followed by Will.

He turned and walked away, leaving bloody footprints on the cobblestone street.

Sebastian trudged up the steps to William's apartment. Of course, holding a grudge against the reaper for so long, he hated to be there. When he got to the door, he didn't even have to knock. The shinigami opened the door without hesitation.

"You came for answers." William said, matter-of-factly.

"Why else would I be here?" Sebastian replied.

William muttered something under his breath. The butler had a good idea of what it was. He followed William into the apartment, which looked much different from Grell's. It looked more like an office, really, with plain white walls and big windows. Things looked more modern, and more emotionless.

"Grell Sutcliffe was never assigned to kill Ciel Phantomhive." The reaper pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Why did he do it?" Sebastian asked, getting on with the questions.

"Being as vain a demon you are, you probably thought that Grell Sutcliffe merely wanted to see you. This is not so." William snarled.

"Answer my question," The demon ordered.

"Patience." The shinigami walked up to his desk and held out a stack of papers to Sebastian.

The butler took the papers. The same loopy red writing scrawled across the page, but it looked distressed. He began to read the writing.

"Grell Sutcliffe set this up as a suicide. He never intended to kill you – or your master. It really was quite clever. Something only that idiot could think up…" William explained. "He left you a letter. The additional papers in that stack are Grell Sutcliffe's medical releases, signed accordingly. At least he had the mind to take leave of his job."

"Did Grell leave any other papers?"

"Yes, he left Ronald and myself letters, and a report to the society of… his own death. Grell Sutcliffe foresaw his own death, exactly how it played out. His lungs were punctured by his ribs, and his lungs filled with blood, suffocating him… and finally…"

"I don't need the details." The butler interrupted. "You saw his cinematic record. What were his motives?"

"Grell Sutcliffe felt that you killing him was passionate; an act of love. Pain is intimate to him. When his body began to shut down, his last thoughts were that of amusement. His last thought was how funny it was that I said to kill him."

It was Sebastian's turn to mutter something under his breath.

"I'm done here." The demon walked out the door, letting the papers fall from his hands.


End file.
